A young woman went to see her mother and told her about all her troubles. Life was hard, and she felt like giving up. No sooner had one problem been resolved, it seemed, than a new one took its place. She was tired of the constant struggle.
Her mother took her into the kitchen and filled three pots with water. In the first pot she placed a carrot, in the second she placed an egg, and in the third she placed some ground coffee beans. She lit the stove and set the three pots to boil without saying a word.
Twenty minutes later she fished the carrot out and put it in a bowl. She pulled the egg out and put it in another bowl. Then she ladled the coffee through a strainer and into a cup. Turning then to her daughter, she asked, "What do you see?"
"A carrot, an egg, and coffee," the young woman replied.
"Feel the carrot," the mother said.
The daughter tried to pick it up, but it fell apart between her fingers. It had turned to mush.
"Now the egg," the mother said.
The daughter cracked the egg on the edge of the bowl, peeled away the shell, and pronounced it hard boiled.
"Now try the coffee."
The daughter smiled as she lifted the cup toward her mouth and breathed in the aroma, and she smiled even more broadly after the first sip. It tasted rich and full.
"So what's your point, Mother?" the young woman asked.
"The point is that the carrot, the egg, and the coffee all faced the same adversity—the boiling water—but each reacted differently. The carrot went in hard, strong and unrelenting, but became weak and fell apart. The egg had been fragile, but after sitting in the boiling water, it became hardened. The coffee beans were different. When they sat in boiling water, they changed the water. Which are you?" the mother asked. "When adversity knocks at your door how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? What are you made of?"
あなたは何で出来ていますか？
ある若い女性が母親に会いに行き、色々悩みを打ち明けた。一つ問題が片付いたかと思うと、また新しい問題が出てくるので、もうすべてを投げ出したい気持ちだと。人生は辛く、彼女は苦労の連続にうんざりしていた。
すると母親は娘をキッチンに連れて行き、3つの鍋に水を入れ、最初の鍋にはにんじん、2つめの鍋には卵、3つめの鍋には挽いたコーヒー豆を入れた。それから、一言も言わずに3つの鍋を火にかけた。
20分たって、母はにんじんを取り出してボウルに入れた。次に卵を別のボウルに、最後に茶こしでコーヒーを濾してカップについだ。それから娘の方を見て言った。「これは何？」
「にんじんと卵とコーヒー。」 娘は答えた。
「にんじんをさわってごらんなさい。」
娘はにんじんをつまんだが、柔らかくなっていたので、ぐしゃっとつぶれた。
「今度は卵」と母。
娘はボウルの縁で卵の殻を割り、むいて、「固ゆで卵だわ」と言った。
「じゃあ、今度はコーヒー。」
娘はにこっと笑ってカップを取り、口に近づけてその香りをかいだ。そして、一口すすると、さらに笑顔を見せた。深くまろやかな味だった。
「お母さん、何が言いたいの？」
「にんじんも卵もコーヒーも同じ逆境にあったわね。煮立ったお湯の中にずっと入っていたから。でも、それぞれ結果は違ったわ。にんじんは最初、堅 くてしっかりしていたけれど、煮たら弱くなって崩れたし、卵は割れやすかったけれど、しばらく沸騰するお湯の中に入っていたら固くなった。コーヒー豆は 違ったわ。お湯で煮立てたら、そのお湯を変えたの。あなたはこの内、どれかしら？」
「逆境に見舞われた時、あなたはどう反応するかしら？ にんじん？ 卵？ それともコーヒー豆？ あなたは何で出来ているのかしら？」
